Mar 5, 2013

On March 5, 1963, Wham-O’s co-founder, Arthur “Spud” Melin patented the Hula Hoop® (U.S. Patent Number 3,079,728). However, the folks at Wham-O can’t technically claim to be the first to spin hoops around their midsections. For centuries, many cultures have been using hoops for exercise and religious ceremonies. It just so happens that the sock hoppin’ 50’s and the gyrating hips of a king meant the time was right for the toy makers to introduce their hoop en mass to the hip-shaking American youth. The first modern Hula Hoop was first marketed 1958 leading to hundreds of millions of units sold before Wham-O’s patent was even granted.

: March 2, 2013: Taylor Nasser, 13, blows a conch shell while hula-hooping during the 51st annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest in Key West, Florida. Nasser, a Key West student, won the teen division of the contest whose contestants were judged on the quality, novelty, duration and loudness of sounds they produced on the fluted, pink-lined shells. (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau/Handout/Reuters)

: March 2, 2013: Dressed in her colorful Dr. Suess themed dress, Casidey Federowiczof Abingdon tries the hula hoop between sweet treats during Saturday’s Chocolate Festival at the Bel Air Armory. (Matt Button/Aegis/Patuxent Publishing)

: February 16, 2013: Alison Keim, 6, hula hoops as dancers from the kinesiology club, Kellie Hileman and Carli Menzel, cheer her on during the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon at the Bryce Events Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. Dancers started the 46-hour fundraiser on Friday. The event, known as Thon, raises money to help families that are battling pediatric cancer. Last year’s event raised $10 million. (Abby Drey/Centre Daily Times/MCT)

: February 12, 2013: People take part in an attempt to break the Guinness world record for most number of people simultaneously hula-hooping at Thammasat University stadium in Pathum Thani province, on the outskirts of Bangkok. Thailand broke the previous record held by Taiwan, with a new record of 4483 people hula-hooping for 7 minutes. The event was organized by the public health ministry to promote exercise and good health. (Kerek Wongsa/Reuters)

: February 12, 2013: People take part in an attempt to break the Guinness world record for most number of people simultaneously hula-hooping at Thammasat University stadium in Pathum Thani province, on the outskirts of Bangkok. Thailand broke the previous record held by Taiwan, with a new record of 4483 people hula-hooping for 7 minutes. The event was organized by the public health ministry to promote exercise and good health. (Kerek Wongsa/Reuters)

: February 12, 2013: This handout photo from the Thai Public Health Ministry shows people taking part in a mass hulahoop event in a stadium at Thammasat University Rangsit campus in Bangkok. Some 4,000 people spun the hoops at venues across Thailand to break the Guinness World Record, with 2 minutes of continuous hula. (Thai Public Health Ministry/AFP/Getty Images)

: October 21, 2012: Lynn Tomlinson, of Catonsville, tries to use a giant hula-hoop while she wears stilts. The 2nd Annual Stiltathon was held on Rash Field in the Inner Harbor. Molly Ross, a performance artist from Hampden organized the event with her company Nana Projects. Stilting workshops were offered in the earlier part of the day with more experienced people showing up later to hangout, dance and hula-hoop on stilts for visitors. (Nate Pesce/Patuxent Publishing)

: October 6, 2012: The blur of a lighted hula hoop at Virgin Mobile Free Fest. (Alexis Jenkins/Baltimore Sun)

: September 23, 2012: During a break from playing his recorder and flute with his band Henrietta Street, Marlin Ballard, Jr., of Cockeysville, plays a cello for the first time as Grace Dworkin, 8, of Homeland, plays maracas while hula hooping at the annual street fair on Abell Street in Charles Village. (Karen Jackson/Patuxent Publishing)

: September 12, 2012: Madison Thomas of Forest Hill, center, and Reese Romano of Bel Air run around giggling while playing with a hula hoop at the 3rd Annual SARC Family Fun Day Saturday. (Nicole Munchel/Aegis/Patuxent Homestead)

: August 29, 2012: London Carry, 2, has fun with a hula hoop at the Druid Hill Farmers Market, where she came with her grandparents. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: August 28, 2012: Kat Soulagnet hula hoops at a ‘Hurricane Party’ in the Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: June 4, 2012: Jamaican singer Grace Jones performs with a hula hoop during the Diamond Jubilee concert in front of Buckingham Palace in London. Large crowds gathered on the grand red road leading to Queen Elizabeth’s sumptuous London palace on Monday for the pop concert on the third day of her Diamond Jubilee to celebrate her 60 years on the throne. (David Moir/Reuters)

: May 12, 2012: Left to right, Meave Gagler, New York, hoops with Gwendolyn Schaffer, 10, and Elliott Schaffer, 7. Gagler is visiting her mother and brought several hula hoops to the 2012 Letís Eat Charles Street Festival along the 300 block of N. Charles Street. The kids are neighbors and live in Baltimore. Gwendolyn recently won a hula hoop competition at her school. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: April 28, 2012: Riley Bateman, 6, of Fort Meade laughs while attempting to hula hoop with an oversized hoop during Family Fun Day in McGill Training Center at Fort Meade on Saturday. (Jen Rynda/Patuxent Publishing)

: April 21, 2012: Ian Wright, of Columbia, holds a hula hoop for his dog Lilu to jump through during the trick contest. Lilu is a half greyhound, half beagle-dotson mix. The Columbia Association held its annual Dog Day Afternoon event at Hopewell Park, featuring activities, contests, games, and products for Columbia residents and their dogs. (Nate Pesce/Patuxent Publishing)

: March 7, 2012: Paul “Dizzy Hips” Blair seen here in a publicity shot, will compete against Andreas “Spilly” Spiliadis in a hula-hoop competition to be taped by a leading Italian television station. (Patuxent Publishing)

: February 25, 2012: Andreas “Spilly” Spiliadis, a weekly fixture hoola-hooping at the 32nd Street Farmers Market, is getting a paid trip to Italy to try to set a Guiness world record in hula-hooping. (Noah Scialom/Patuxent Publishing)

: February 25, 2012: Andreas “Spilly” Spiliadis, a weekly fixture hoola-hooping at the 32nd Street Farmers Market, is getting a paid trip to Italy to try to set a Guiness world record in hula-hooping. Italian TV is paying his way. (Noah Scialom/Patuxent Publishing)

: February 13, 2012: Andreas “Spilly” Spiliadis of Oakenshawe hula hoops on top of a mound of snow during the 33rd Street Farmers Market on . Spiliadis typically visits the market each week and hula hoops in the median of 33rd Street, but relocated due to the snowstorms that slammed Baltimore the previous week. (Sarah Pastrana/Patuxent Publishing)

: October 30, 2011: Dani Weissman, a serious hulu hooping hobbist, sports three neon lit hula hoops on Huntingdon Avenue in the Remington neighborhood that became Hauntingdon Avenue filled with spooky characters, games and music Sunday evening for locals to celebrate Halloween. (Karen Jackson/Patuxent Publishing)

: October 9, 2011: Maimouna Diop, 8, demonstrates her hula hoops technique at Baltimore Hoop Love to Alex, left, Aneesah, center, and Chelsey, right. The Farmer’s Market under the JFX is one of “10 places to be seen” in Baltimore. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: September 24, 2011: Naomi Mason, 3, hula hoops as Brick Bodies fitness instructors drill other students and their parents through push ups and a variety of fun exercises during Prettyboy Elementary school Family Fitness. The event, sponsored by the Parent/Teacher Association, was held to reinforce the lessons taught to students in physcial education classes on how to live a healthy lifestyle through exercise and proper nutrition. (Karen Jackson/Patuxent Publishing)

: July 15, 2011: Artscape, the biggest free festival in the country, kicked off yesterday in Bolton Hill and Charles North. Kelly Jo Stull, aerial artist and street performer, swings numerous hula hoops at Artscape. (Gabe Dinsmoor/Baltimore Sun)

: June 25, 2011: Sherry Ayers of Mt. Washington hula hoops as her son Jacob attempts to jump inside during Roots Fest 2011 on W. Franklin Street. (Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun)

: June 4, 2011: Nikki Miller of Cleveland, Ohio, plays with a hula hoop at the 13th annual Starscape Festival at Fort Armistead. (Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun)

: September 11, 2010: Anjelica Hebern, right, and Hazel Alexander, both with the Buddhist group Soka Gakkai International, perform with hula hoops during the Pigtown Festival. (Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun)

: November 8, 2010: The winner for the Reader Sunshots series “Pets” goes to Bob Hennessy for his photo titled “Tricks.” He took the photo for an online photo course a couple of years ago of Jackie, his now 15-year-old Jack Russell terrier. According to Hennessy, “She is quite the performer and loves to do tricks. Jumping through a hula hoop is just one of many.” He used a Canon Rebel XT with a 70-200mm lens. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun photo editor Jerry Jackson: “There were a lot of fun photos entered this week. This one stood out for the crisp, stop action. I like that Jackie is captured, mid air, dutifully performing her trick. Her upward gaze suggests that she could keep on flying.” (Bob Hennessy/Reader Sunshots/Baltimore Sun)

: October 16. 2010: Lynda Del Genis, Andreas Spiliadis and Malaika Kaiza enjoy hoola-hooping at the Druid Hill Park 150th Anniversary festival. (Colby Ware/Baltimore Sun)

: September 11, 2010: (L-R) Jack Long, 5, of Catonsville, Matthew Baker, 5, of Hampden, Julia Taylor, 6, of Ellicott City, and Lauren Taylor, 7, of Ellicott City play with hula hoops during Hampdenfest. (Sarah Pastrana/Patuxent Publishing)

: June 6, 2010: Cole Jarrett, 10, of Owings Mills plays with a giant hula hoop at the Charles Village Festival. He stopped there with his family on the way home from Greater Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in Baltimore. (Steve Ruark/Patuexent Publishing)

: May 8, 2010: Lucha VaVoom blends Mexican wrestling, vintage burlesque and live comedy at Sonar. (Lucha VaVoom/Handout)

: December 30, 2009: Circus Oz performer Eli Green swings a hula hoop through her mouth during the final rehearsal in Sydney. The internationally acclaimed ‘Barely Contained’ show is incorporated into the Sydney Festival 2010 and will run until January 26. (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)

: October 21, 2009: U.S. first lady Michelle Obama hula hoops on the South Lawn of the White House during an event promoting exercise and healthy eating for children in Washington, DC. The Healthy Kids Fair included events on cooking healthy meals and emphasized children getting a proper amount of outdoor exercise each day. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

: July 18, 2009: Paige Shuttleworth, also know as DJ Woman, from Baltimore, and Jim Dier, also known as Small Change, from New York, take time before they DJ to enjoy the spirit of Artscape. The two improvised movements with hula hoops on a side street off of the Midway. (Tasha Treadwell/Baltimore Sun)

: May 23, 2009: Stilters Kesling Kalb (left) of Hampden and Annie Howe of Hamilton welcome people to the fourth annual Hula Hoop-a-Thon in Charles Village. The four rounds of hula hooping competition included endurance, travelling, a challenge round and freestyle. The winner of the contest was crowned the 2009 Master of Hoops. (Sarah Nix/Patuxent Publishing)

: May 23, 2009: Kristine Bellinger (left) of Hampden and Andreas Spiliadis of Charles Village participate in Fluid Movement’s fourth annual Hula Hoop-a-Thon in Charles Village. In the first round, competitors had to hula hoop for ten minutes without dropping their hoop. Spiliadis was eliminated in the first round, because his homemade large hoop was too unmanageable. Bellinger was eliminated in the second round, which required participants to race to the end of the block and back while hooping. (Sarah Nix/Patuxent Publishing)

: August 9, 2008: Alexis Vasilos uses a hula hoop as she preforms her own act while bands play on the big stage during Virgin Festival. (Monica Lopossay/Baltimore Sun)

: June 28, 2007: Tony Terrasa participates in a hula hoop contest during the 40th birthday celebration of his hometown of Columbia. (Mauricio Rubio/Baltimore Sun)

: March 8, 2007: Nicole Feld is the third generation of the Feld family to run Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey circus.She’s showing Jessica Argueta, 4, Owings Mills,how to use the hula hoop. The Feld family has owned the circus longer than Ringling, Barnum and Bailey. Feld is the first woman to oversee it. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: January 9, 2009: Kindergartener Sohan Gunawardane, 6, competes in the Hula Hoop contest during the Centennial Lane Elementary School Pirate & Princess Dance Party held at Burleigh Manor Middle School on Friday. Gunawardane won the kindergarten round of the contest. (Anthony Castellano/Patuxent Publishing)

: June 5, 2004: Janis Speranzella, White Marsh, shows off her hula hoop skills as she marches with fellow Roost 52 members in The Council of Baltimore Ravens Roosts parade on Baltimore Ave. Roost 52 meets in White Marsh and this is one of the events in the council’s weekend-long annual convention. The theme of the convention is “Rockin’ N Raven in Ocean City.” (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: May 14: 2004: Sisters Erica and Kayla Morton give each other a look as they wait for the Hula Hoop competition to begin during the PTA sponsored “Sock Hop” at Bryant Woods Elementary School. (Reid Silverman/Patuxent Publishing)

: May 14, 2004: Third grader Kelly Knight is the first in line to receive a Hula Hoop before the start of the third grade and under Hula Hoop competition during the Annual “Sock Hop” event at Bryant Woods Elementary School. (Reid Silverman/Patuxent Publishing)

: March 16, 2003: Dressed as King Mordechai, Spencer Collen, 4-1/2 works his hips with the hula hoop to music at the 11th Annual Community Purim Carnival, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Howard County at Long Reach High School Sun. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: January 11, 2003: Nine-year-old Abra Roberts of Owings Mills shakes her hips to keep ten hula-hoops whirling arounds her hips. She was among hundreds of kids who attended the children’s celebration for Governor-elect Robert Ehrlich’s inauguration at Howard Community College. (Francis Gardler/Patuxent Publishing)

: November 11, 2002: At the National Aquarium in Baltimore, 10 year old male dolphin “Shadow” plays with a weighted set of hula hoops which was made by aquarium staff as enrichment tools for keeping their animals happy through play. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)

: August 7, 2002: Youth ambassadors of the Safe and Sound campaign take to some of Baltimore’s worst streets to make playgrounds out of vacant lots. Brittany Newman, 4, plays with the hula hoop outside her home at the corner of Mount Avenue and Laurens Street. (Nanine Hartzenbusch/Baltimore Sun)

: June 7, 2002: Miss Karina Perez beams her way through a “Hula Hoops Extraordinaire” performance. (Sam Friedman/Patuxent Publishing)

: June 4, 2000: Grant-a-Wish/The Children’s Promise Foundation host a picnic at the Baltimore Zoo….Makia Forrest (cq), 10, of Baltimore, leads others in hula hoops during the picnic. (Andre F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)

Interesting Hula Hoop trivia from about.com:

Japan once banned the hula hoop because the rotating hip action seems indecent;
On June 4, 2005, Australian Kareena Oates set a Guinness world record for hula hooping – with 100 hoops for three full revolutions;
101 hoops were spun by Alesya Goulevich of Belarus on June 11, 2006;
105 hoops were spun by Jin Linlin of China on October 28, 2007;
The world record for the largest Hula Hoop (by circumference) spun was set by American Ashrita Furman at 51.5 feet on June 1, 2007.

50 years of the Hula Hoop® in Baltimore and beyond

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